“Marvel not that I said unto thee [Nicodemus], Ye [is plural, the whole Nation of Israel] must be born AGAIN” (John 3:7)

Too often the true significance of Jesus’ John 3:7 words with Nicodemus is overlooked due to a failure to appreciate its usage of the second person pronouns “thee” and “ye.”

Notice the verse carefully: “Marvel not that I said unto THEE, YE must be born again.” To the modern reader this may seem unimportant since most of us do not so readily understand the significance of the “thee, thou,” versus “ye, you” as contrasted in our KJV Bible.

You see, “thee, thou” are singular and “ye, you” are plural are respectively the singular and plural forms of the second person pronoun. While our modern English only uses the pronoun “you” for both singular and plural, the older English was able to distinguish between in singular (thee, thou) and plural (ye, you). “Thee, thou” refers to an individual while “ye, you” refers to a group. This same distinction is made in many modern languages and, more importantly, is used by the Greek language of the New Testament.

This explains why God is never addressed in the Bible by the word “ye or you.” There is ‘one God,” so He is always to be addressed in the singular as Thee or Thou. Addressing God as “Thee, Thou” in prayer is not simply a matter of reverence or respect, it is also a simple matter of proper grammar – He is One!

This understanding is critical if we are to properly determine who exactly is being addressed or referred to by Jesus’ speaking with Nicodemus. Thus, our Lord Jesus was, in fact, saying to Nicodemus,

“Marvel not that I say unto THEE [Nicodemus], YE [i.e., the Nation Israel] must be born again.”

As an aside, it’s interesting that “thee” and “ye” is one of the very things often used to complain against the King James Bible, but we see, in reality, it is a tremendously study aid! Try it in other passages, such as Matt. 16:18-19; 18:18, Luke 22:31-34, etc.

Now also, in light of this, we should look carefully at Israel’s history: As a nation, Israel was born the first time when God led them out of Egypt. Two passages that make this very clear are Ex. 4:22 and Deut. 32:18. In the former, God declares Israel to be His “first born” and thus Moses later rebuked them:

“OF THE ROCK THAT BEGAT [Heb. yalad, birthed] THEE thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”

The Exodus from Egypt marks the first birth of the Nation Israel and stands as the great declaration of God’s purpose for that specially favored people. Paul alludes to this in I Cor. 10:1-2:

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, now that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea [the Red Sea while leaving Egypt]; “And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”

They were “baptized unto Moses” and born as a nation. It is almost humorous–tragically so–to hear Moses “arguing” with the Lord over His rebellious people, saying;

“[Moses says] …Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? “Have I Conceived All This People? Have I Begotten [Heb. yalad, birthed] Them…?” (Numbers 11:11-12)

The point to notice here is that Moses clearly acknowledged that it was God who had conceived and given birth to this Nation of Israel. They were His! And we are not left to wonder about His purpose for them:

“And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.
“Now therefore, IF YE will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
“And Ye Shall Be Unto Me A Kingdom Of Priests, And An Holy Nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Ex. 19:3-6).

God gave birth to the Nation Israel, which was to be a holy nation, “a kingdom of priests.” They were to be the agency and channel through whom His salvation and blessing was to be carried to “all the nations of the earth.” This was what He had promised Abraham, when He had said:

“And I WILL MAKE OF THEE (the Nation Israel) A GREAT NATION, and I will bless thee and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and IN THEE SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED” (Gen 12:2-3).

This was the hope set before Israel through the prophets He sent to them. For example, Isaiah declares,

“But YE SHALL BE NAMED THE PRIEST OF THE LORD: MEN SHALL CALL YOU THE MINISTERS OF OUR GOD: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves” (Isa. 61:6).

We do not have to read the sacred page for long, however, to learn the obvious fact that Israel failed–failed miserably–to keep the covenant made with them through Moses. Because they did not keep the Law, they were under the curse of God. Thus, it became necessary for God to bring the nation to birth again–through new covenant and a new deliverer, a “greater than Moses.”

Jer. 31:31-34 teaches that God was to make a “new covenant” with Israel, one which would provide “regeneration” and forgiveness of sin for the Nation Israel. When this “new covenant” is realized, it will issue in spiritual “regeneration” and result in physical restoration for the national people of Israel. As it were, the Nation Israel will be “born in a day.”

“Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. ⁹Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.” (Isaiah 66:8 (KJV)

It was to this prophesied rebirth of the Nation Israel that our Lord pointed Nicodemus in John 3 and which he was so painfully unable to comprehend. Notice once again how the Lord used the “thou–ye” contrast as He responded to Nicodemus’ dullness:

“…Art THOU (Nicodemus) a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? “Verily, verily I say unto THEE, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and YE (Israel) receive not our witness” (vs. 10-11).

Sadly, even the very teachers and leaders of God’s favored people, Israel, could not see the nation’s true fallen condition and need! Israel had lived under the Mosaic Covenant for nearly 1,500 years and had failed to meet their end of the agreement over and over again. Their continued rebellion had led God to allow their deportation and captivity in Babylon so that the land, at least, could have its Shemitah rest (2 Chron. 36:20-21). It was during this time of captivity that Jeremiah had written about the “new covenant” through which God would provide “regeneration” and restoration for fallen Israel.

This was also the time of Ezekiel and his prophecies concerning the future regeneration of Israel – a regeneration which would result in the glorious physical restoration of Israel and ultimately the whole earth. In fact, our Lord’s words in John 3:5 seem certain to have Ezek. 36:25-30 in mind, a passage clearly describing the Divine preparation of Israel for her kingdom to come…  but it will not come until in the Christ’s Millennial kingdom.

Also, in light of our Lord’s words to Nicodemus in John 3:14, it is instructive to note that Psalms 22, a prophetic Psalm clearly associated with His being “lifted up”–concludes where John 3 beings:

“For the kingdom is the Lord’s and he is the governor among the nations. “A SEED SHALL SERVE HIM; it shall be accounted to the Lord FOR A GENERATION.

“They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto A PEOPLE THAT SHALL BE BORN, that he hath done this” (Psa. 22:28, 30-31).

The infancy stage of this “born again” nation is to be found among Christ’s early followers, to whom He said: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

We’re not surprised to find the Peter later writing to Israel’s believers who comprised the “little flock”;

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath Begotten Us AGAIN unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
“Being Born AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:3, 23).

And there can be no doubt as to the hope and calling of those who had thus been born again for Peter goes on to identify them:

“But Ye (the Nation Israel) Are A Chosen Generation, A Royal Priesthood, An Holy Nation, A Peculiar People; that ye should shew forth the raises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Pet. 2:9).

So, the new birth spoken of by the Lord Jesus in John 3 is a reference to the future REBIRTH of the “Nation Israel” when she is to be spiritually cleansed and then possesses her land forever.